In my years of teaching Love to Read, I’ve come across many weak readers who struggle due to insufficient vocabulary and a lack of motivation. For these children, there’s a risk that the purpose behind reading becomes blurry. Reading isn’t the goal itself, but a tool through which to explore and learn other things. It’s important to love reading if you’re going to use it well. Therefore, reading needs to be meaningful and motivating. Here are some ways to engage weaker readers in wider reading:

• Select reading materials that match your child’s passions. We might want them to read War and Peace, but an unenthusiastic learner is more likely to read a Minecraft book or a comic featuring their favourite superhero.
• Have a range of reading resources readily available for your child – there should be a variety of genres and formats which are age and especially ability appropriate.
• Maximise your child’s exposure to different books through frequent visits to the library, bookshops, talks and other promotional activities.
• Let your child choose what to read to ensure his or her interest in those titles.
• Incorporate a wide range of activities to make reading enjoyable and meaningful. Find out more tips on making reading fun from the articles in the Reading Skills Series.
• Encourage your child to note down new, interesting vocabulary while reading. This way, they can gradually enrich their vocabulary both for reading comprehension and writing.

Wider reading is critical to a child’s literacy development. Let’s help children love to read!